


The Maze Runner [OC]

by NewtonSangster



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Gen, M/M, My First AO3 Post, Original Character(s), Original Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-11-15 01:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18063878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewtonSangster/pseuds/NewtonSangster
Summary: An original vision of The Maze Runner, with a new character, a new relationship, a new plot... I won't say more, otherwise I'll spoil the story ^^Inspired about a dream I made...(French version available)





	1. Chapter 1

The first memory she had of her new life was the huge breathing she took when she regained consciousness. Her head was spinning crazily, and everything around her seemed to move as rapidly. After having breath a while, she looked around here, and all that she saw was the big iron cage filled with WCKD labelled stuff where she was, lightened by a soft light which only allowed her to realize all of this. Suddenly panicking, she began to hit the bars insanely, yelling so loud that her vocals cords were about to break. No answer. Realizing that was useless, she sat on the cold and sticky soil, her head on the knees. Thousands of questions were scrambling in her mind : where was she, what was happening, why was she here ? And mostly… Who was she ?

After a bunch of time that seemed like an eternity, the cage made a huge noise and opened on the top in a metallic creaking, blinding her with a white light. While her eyes were trying to adapt to this luminosity, she heard voices above her. A lot of voices.  
— Is that… a girl ?  
— We've never had a girl here !  
— What is this klunk ?  
She finally looked up. Boys, a dozen approximately, were circling the cage staring at here strangely. Suddenly, a boy with black skin jumped in the cage. She rose from a bound, grabbed two tin cans and tackled against the wall behind her.  
— Don't touch me ! she screamed.  
— It's OK, he said, rising his hands above his head like a peace sign. I don't want to hurt you.  
She threw one of the cans he narrowly avoided.  
— What's happening ? Where am I ? Why do I have no memories ?  
— I know you're afraid, we all went through this. I'll answer to you, I promise, but right now you need to trust me.  
She looked up once again and stared at the boys. They were teenagers, dressed with strange damaged dirt clothes. Their faces were betraying their lack of understanding, which worried her much more.  
She began to think at full speed : she had not idea of what was happening to her, but she wouldn't have any answers staying here threatening the other boy with a tin can in this damned cage. She put down her improvised weapon, and went towards the black skinned boy hesitantly.  
— OK, I follow you.

When she went back on the land, things got worse. The teenagers gathered around her, staring at her like a circus freak and speaking loud. They were all speaking at the same time, and the only words she managed to hear clearly had no sense for her.  
— Get away from her ! almost yelled the boy who came to pick her up. Let her breath ! Don't you see she's terrified ?  
He took her arm and brought her away from the crowd.  
— I conceive you're a bit shaken by all of this. The Box, the memories… We all went through this.  
— What's happening to me ? she asked point blank.  
— Well, you've had the honor to be chosen by the creators to live here with us by now, sighed the boy.  
— The creators ?  
— That is a long story, you'll have the time to learn all you have to soon. Anyway, welcome to the Glade ! I'm Alby, the leader of all this little world. Come with me, I'm gonna make you visit.  
Alby brought her everywhere through this place he has called "The Glade". She was looking carefully all he was showing to her, but her thoughts were misty by the questions that beset her.  
— Ha, here's Newt !  
She went out of her thoughts blenching, and focused on the person Alby had designated : a deep black eyed boy, with messy strawberry blond hair, was coming towards them with a large smile.  
— Hey Alby ! he began when he arrived by their side.  
He turned to her.  
— How are you doing, Greenie ? Not too shaken ?  
— I'm fine, I guess, she said without much conviction. Let's say that things could be worse given the situation.  
— This is Newt, Alby continued. He's my right arm here. If I'm not in the area and you have a problem, he's the one you need to see.  
— Nice to meet you…  
He paused.  
— I don't remember my name, she said realizing what was bothering Newt.  
— It will come back soon, I'm sure, he reassured her with a smile. Anyway I have to go, see you at the bonfire tonight !  
And he left as quick as he had came. She stared at him, unable to look out from his silhouette.  
— Something wrong ? Alby asked by her side.  
— I don't know… Actually, I have the impression to know him.  
— To know him ? What do you mean ?  
— His face, his voice, the way he speaks… It reminds me something, but I can't tell you what.  
The boy looked hard at her and shook his head.  
— Whatever, if there is something you have to remind of, you will. Come on, I have to show you many things furthermore.  
***  
She stared at the pile of branches igniting while the gladers (like Alby had called them) shouted for joy. She observed them carefully : in addition to Newt and Alby whose she knew the faces, she counted nine more boys. So they were eleven before she arrived. What were eleven teenagers doing alone in a place like this ? She shook briskly her head, realizing she wouldn't have any answer, and continued her observation. They were laughing and drinking happily around the hearth, like they had known each others forever. She was feeling like… she was a complete stranger. With a sigh, she quitted the place and went sit on a bench in the Deadheads. She closed her eyes, listening to her breathing and the muffled discussions she could hear from the bonfire far off.  
— Everything's OK ?  
Caught short, she screamed because of the unexpected speech of the one who has sat next to her. She had recognized him immediately.  
— It's OK, Newt. Don't worry for me, she said more frostily than she had expected.  
— Of course I'm worrying, I know what you're going through.  
She sighed long.  
— So, do you like the Glade ? he continued after a short break time.  
— Is that a real question ? she said with a laugh. Not but seriously, the place doesn't look so bad, but there is still so much things I don't get . Alby said he showed me what I needed to know, but I'm pretty sure he missed a huge detail.  
— You're talking about this, aren't you ? Newt said designating the big walls around the Glade.  
Effectively, that was what was bothering her. When she had arrived, she had noticed those tremendous thick grey walls that were surrounding the lawn square, unless at a spot where a small opening that overlooked a dark and dusty path. Then, when the sun went down, the opening had been closed by two huge doors sliding towards each other. She hadn't dare to ask Alby about that, but she hoped she could have some answers from the blond boy.  
— We call it the Maze.  
She opened her eyes wide. A maze ?  
— It surrounds the entire Glade, over a hundred meters, Newt continued before she could answer. It's gigantic, dangerous, unpredictable. But it's our only way out.  
— What do you mean ?  
— I mean we have tried all it was possible to try, the Box, the ivy, even waiting desperately for someone to come for us. Nothing happened. That's how we understood that our exit was in this maze. But we can't all go in. First because if we focus on only one task, there is anybody to manage the Glade. Then…  
He paused during a minute, his eyes lost on the dark facade.  
— Then because it's dangerous. Really. If we're not back here before the sun goes down, the doors close and we are stuck inside. And inside, there are grievers.  
She had no idea what those "grievers" could be, but at Newt's face and voice tone, she got that wasn't a good thing.  
— So Alby created the group of the runners, Newt restarted. Each morning, early, they sneak into the Maze and explore it all day trying to find how it works.  
— You're one of them, uh ? she asked instinctively.  
He nodded with a soft smile. She didn't know why, but she was feeling like his smile was a fake, forced smile. He spent a few more minutes explaining her the the functioning of the structure.  
— Has everyone here a assigned job ? she suddenly asked, the question just emerging in her mind (there were so many…).  
— You can say it like that that, yes. For the moment, we aren't enough to be able to focus on only one mission, we're helping each other. Alby tries though to give a "skill" to everyone, so that when we will be more numerous, there will be keepers for every job. Organization thing.  
— I see. For how long have you been there ?  
— It's been six months for me, I was the seventh newbie. I don't know if Alby told you, but the Box brings us a greenie each months, with some food and stuff we need to survive.  
She remembered the tin cans she had grabbed to protect herself. That was making sense now.  
— Alby was the first of us, he continued. We all arrived one by one, in the same state as you, panicked and lost. He's always been there, guiding us and explaining all the things we needed to know about this bloody place. You're the thirteenth one, so you're officially the newbie who celebrates the Glade's first anniversary !  
— What an honor, she said with a laugh.  
— And I bet everything you want that you won't be the last one. I don't know why we are here, but I feel like they're not about to stop locking kids in a mortal maze.  
They became silent for a moment.  
— Well, I have my dose of good news for tonight, she noticed ironically. I guess I have enough stuff to begin my… new life.  
— I'm sure you'll manage to perfectly, you seem to be a warrior, he replied with a laugh.  
He watched her for a long time, and her eyes drifted over her bust.  
— What's around your neck ? he asked her.  
She lowered her eyes ; to tell the truth, she hadn't taken the time to look at what she was wearing since she had arrived. Her clothes consisted of brown canvas pants studded with half a dozen pockets on the legs, and a reddish shirt that was open on a dirty white sleeveless top, barred by a large belt leather that included some cases. Another leather belt was fastened to her right thigh, and served as storage for a small knife. On the top of her chest, a pendant hung, attached to her neck by a small thick suede string. She took it in her hands: it was a metal cylinder that did not exceed three centimeters, decorated with two strips of the same suede which constituted the chain of the necklace. She examined it carefully.  
— I don't know actually, she finally said. I guess the ones who locked me here thought it was esthetic to give an necklace to a girl.  
Her comment made Newt laugh.  
— Anyway, he admitted, I'm glad you're here with us, Esther.  
She turned around in one fell swoop. Newt froze.  
— What did you say ?  
— I don't know, it… it came out itself…  
Newt seemed as disconcerted as she was by what he had just said.  
He had called her Esther.  
And the most astonishing part was that this name resonated in her.  
It was hers, she was sure of it.  
— My name, she whispered.  
— What?  
— What you just said is my name.  
— B-But how could I have known it ? stammered Newt.  
— I have no idea, but I'm absolutely sure that's my name.  
She repeated it a dozen times, inaudibly, as to make sure of what she was saying. Newt gently put a hand on his shoulder, a comforting smile on his face.  
— Then welcome to the Glade, Esther.  
She returned his smile.  
— Come on, he said, getting up, I'm going to introduce you to the others.  
He took her hand and dragged her to the bonfire. Esther had a freer mind. She knew who she was now.


	2. Chapter 2

Alby woke her up early this morning, telling her to follow him. As she was emerging from sleep, stretching her tired muscles because the discomfort of the hammock, the leader was already heading towards the Maze gates, still closed at this time. Esther stood up and quickly joined him, slaloming between the bunks of the boys still asleep.  
— Why are you taking me here? she asked in a voice hoarse by lack of sleep.  
Alby didn't answered him. Instead, he simply pointed to the wall they had just arrived in front of, studded with names clumsily carved into the stone. She read twelve of them: Minho, Gally, Ben, Clint, Alby, George, Siggy, Jeff, Winston, Zart, Jack, Newt. Every time she was reading one of these names, she was trying to remember the face of the glader and his work, to check if she had remembered what Newt had told her the day before. Him, Minho and Ben were the runners, Gally the builder, Jeff and Clint the medjacks, Siggy the cook (even though everyone was calling him Frypan), Zart the track hoe, Winston and Jack the slicers. Yet she still lacked an information ...  
— Who is this?  
She pointed to a name she did not know, George, strikethrough.  
— He was a glader, like us.  
— He was ?  
— Life is not always easy in the Bloc, Alby sighed.  
She didn't take long to understand ; she remembered counting eleven boys yesterday, yet Newt had said she was the thirteenth.  
— What ... what happened to him?  
— You shouldn't be aware of such things from your second day. You're not ready.  
Esther swallowed hardly. What was waiting for her here?  
— You're one of us now, Alby went on as if nothing has happened. You must know what it means.  
He handed her a big knife, and she understood what he wanted from her. Slowly, she went towards the wall ; between four names, there was an empty space, large enough to hold six good-sized letters. She grasped the knife firmly between her fingers, and approached the cold stone.  
***  
Once she finished, she looked at the result: the letters were shaky, clumsy, bent. Still, she couldn't help being proud of what she had done. Her memory had been erased, all her memories removed. Who was she before? Did she have a family, friends? She had arrived here lost and alone, and these teenagers had welcomed her without questionning. She was part of a new family, united in difficulty, and it was well worth what she had forgotten about her life before.  
A deafening din came out of his thoughts : on her left, the doors of the Maze opened in a horrible creaking of metal and stone that tore his eardrums. Esther wondered how she could handle this horror twice a day.  
Footsteps came behind them. Ben and Newt, wearing running shoes and backpacks, passed in front of them and smiled at them before sneaking into the Labyrinth. For a moment, Esther imagined herself as a runner, walking the winding and hostile paths all day, with the fear of not being able to return before sunset. Was it really what these boys wanted?  
Alby put a hand on her shoulder, tearing her from his contemplation of the Maze entrance.  
— You must be hungry now, he said with a smile. Come on, you have to get some strength, you start your introduction to the jobs today.  
Indeed, now that she thought about it, her belly was gurgling horribly and hunger was tugging her bowels as if she had not eaten for two days. She followed the leader to the kitchen, and after having greeted Fry and taken his morning ration, she sat down at a table where there was no one. Few gladers were awake at this hour, and only Jeff and Clint were having lunch while talking in a low voice.  
— Hi, uh ...  
Minho had sat down in front of her with such a lack of delicacy that her plate nearly turned over.  
— I don't remember your name to be honest, he said laughing, a hand behind the neck.  
— Esther, she replied with a smile. Let's say you forgot it because I'm the newbie here.  
— Exactly ! Anyway, until another fellow joins us, you'll probably be called "Greenie" by everyone. Besides, he continued, you get up really early this morning, you fell off your hammock?  
She punched him in the arm as she laughed at his taunting.  
— No shuckface (she has used that word instinctively), Alby made me engrave my name on the wall, she said with a smirk.  
— Oh, yes, that thing. I remember the day he took me to the wall ; there were only two names at that time, Alby's and George's. It was the beginning of the Glade, I was completely freaking out and the other two were just as lost as I was. We've come a long way since that time.  
Esther looked at him closely as he was telling her all of this. She imagined herself landing in such a place, the memory wiped and no one to welcome her or explain what she is doing there. The gladers had really done a remarkable job in less than a year. The maturity they had reached for teenagers their age was stunning.  
— I saw Newt and Ben go to the Maze this morning, she said to change the topic. Why didn't you go with them ?  
— It's my day off, he answered with a wink. We never go there at the same time, to be in the best shape. One day out of three, we stay at the Glade to physically recover and take stock of the collected cards, and then the next day, it's the turn of another runner.  
— And you get up anyway as early whereas you could sleep longer ?  
— We end up getting used to this. And plus, this is the only moment where everything's calm here, you'll soon realize !  
They finished eating talking about everything and nothing. Esther liked Minho, his sarcasm and oversized ego made him a jovial and pleasant person to talk with.  
***  
After that, Alby came back for her.  
— Today, you start with the track hoes. Zart leads this job, but Clint will be there to help. The Box has sent us new plantations so there is a lot of work, you won't be bored today.  
The leader led her to the garden, where the two boys were already working. Zart explained her the basics : tearing the weeds, planting seeds, pruning trees, cultivating, digging ditches... The work seemed physical, but less unpleasant than slicer or slopper. Being exempted from physical work because of her small size, she still had to experiment working in the kitchen and the infirmary before being assigned somewhere.  
— As you know, we've had new plants this month, Zart said.  
He pointed to a blue box filled with soil where different young growth where were planted, and on which were painted four white letters: W.C.K.D.  
— With all the vegetables they gave us, we'll have a lot to do, continued the blond-haired boy. I have to go and see if the stakes in the greenhouses are holding in place. I leave you with Clint, it's not the first time he's done that so he'll be able to explain to you how to proceed.  
With these words, he went away before the girl had been able to ask questions. Clint, a boy with brown curly hair, came right behind her with a big smile.  
— Hey Greenie ! he intoned in a voice almost too happy to be sincere. Ready for your first day ?  
Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the box Zart had left on the ground and went to the bottom of the garden.  
***  
They have spent the morning digging in the ground and planting the shoots. Esther had spent so much time squatting on the ground that her back and knees were unbearably painful. When the sun was in the middle of the sky, she got up and stretched as much as she could, enjoying the crackles that her aching joints produced as she relaxed.  
— I think we deserved our break, Clint said. Come on, we'll go eat a little before we get back to it.  
Sitting in front of the medjack, she watched him eat as if the morning's activities hadn't been exhausting. The girl remembered that Zart had told him that the boy had helped him several times before.  
— Do you often help in the garden ? she asked to break the silence.  
— Quite often, yes, he replied, his mouth half full. In fact, as a medjack, we do not really have a job as long as no one gets hurt. Basically, the less we work in the infirmary, the better the Glade is !  
She smiled slightly at his remark, then her brain began to think at full speed. Medjack: this job had something intriguing.  
— What do you do as a medjack, concretely ?  
She was afraid for a moment that her curiosity was out of place, but the boy looked up, visibly satisfied that someone was interested in his job.  
— Well, most of the time, we take care of the small injuries of the gladers, when they cut themselves, burn themselves ... or in the case of the runners, when they fall or wring ankle. Nothing really difficult, but we don't really have any medicinal skills so it's better like this.  
She wondered how the gladers had come to appoint two boys as doctors of the group while they didn't know how to do it so. But finally, none of them had this knowledge ; they must have been chosen more for their skill in managing stress and human contact than for their knowledge of the job.  
— The most difficult case we had to manage, he continued, was George's.  
— George's ? She repeated.  
She remembered seeing his name on the wall this morning.  
— Yeah.  
He paused before resuming.  
— He was a runner too. I hadn't arrived yet, it was Jeff who told me what happened. It was during the seventh month. Jeff had been there for barely one month, and had just been promoted medjack when this poor George was stung by a griever.  
This sent shivers down her spine. Newt had told her briefly about these monstrous creatures who were able to kill one of the teenagers in a brief movement.  
— It was Minho who was with him that day, they were the only two runners at the time. He said that they had ventured far away, and that grievers were waiting for them. George sacrificed himself to allow the other to stay alive. He returned to the Bloc two hours after the first, in a bad state. Jeff tried to give him one of the strange syringes we are sometimes given and whose utility he hadn't understood yet.  
— Did it work ?  
The teenager's face closed.  
— No. We still think that syringes are used to treat stings, but Jeff had been there for too short a time to handle this kind of tool accurately at the time. George's state got worse, he became violent and uncontrollable. Alby was forced to kill him.  
Esther looked at the contents of her plate and swallowed : she was not really hungry anymore. She was now understanding what the leader meant by "things too hard to hear from the second day". However, despite the horrors that the young man had just told her, an idea came into her head, almost obvious.  
— Hey Clint ... do you think I could become a medjack ?


	3. Chapter 3

Esther went into to the infirmary with the feeling of being in the right place. She looked at the place with a feeling of wonder and excitement : the room wasn't big, but there was enough place to contain the necessary. On the left, in front of the door, an office was so big that it went from one end of the wall to the other ; four compartments composed its lower part. Above, two wooden boards had been installed and served as shelves to a dozen bottles containing colored liquids, and a small cupboard had been hung in the bottom of the room. Two beds occupied most of the place, arranged in the center next to a small trolley.  
— Welcome to the infirmary !  
Jeff had just come in, tearing Esther out of his contemplation.  
— Ready for your first day Greenie ?  
She nodded with a big smile.  
After finishing her two days of training in the garden, Alby had allowed the young glader to experiment this work.  
— What are we starting with ? she asked impatiently.  
The boy laughed frankly.  
— Well, you don't lose your bearings ! We'll wait until Clint arrives, it will be better if we are all here.  
He went then to the office and began to look into a big blue plastic box that looked like the one she saw yesterday in the garden.  
— Are the creators sending you all this ? she asked as she approached the medjack.  
— Yeah, every month we have new drugs, with a user manual for each. Sometimes we wonder if they do not know in advance what we'll need.  
Clint arrived at that moment. He paused at the doorway, bending in two, panting.  
— Sorry for the delay, he said simply.  
Jeff gave him a brief look, then the two medjacks went in front of the newbie.  
— Well, Jeff said, as you know, being medjack means helping the others, being there for them whenever they need you. Clint told me that he had already explained to you the different facets of the job, so theoretically you only have the practice left to experiment.  
— Except that without anyone to help, we can't show you anything, continued the other. You'll spend the morning storing the infirmary and doing the inventory, so we'll explain you how each drug and each tool is used.  
The three gladers pulled out all the products contained in the cupboards and on the shelves and put them on the desk. Esther was surprised to see that the two boys had so much material while they knew nothing about medicine. How were they able to use all of them ?  
She got her answer when Jeff pulled out a big book from the cupboard.  
— This is where we write all the ways to use our stuff, he explained to the girl. It's easier than keeping all the bits of paper that the creators leave us.  
To stress his point, he took a sheet from the blue box and looked at it carefully before going through the pages of his textbook and scribbling on one of them.  
***  
They had been cleaning the room for a good hour and a half when they heard someone knock at the entrance.  
— I think I need help ...  
Winston was in the doorway, holding his right arm with a half-smile. He had a long slash all over his forearm, and the wound was bleeding profusely.  
— Slicer, what a dangerous job, joked Clint shaking his head. Come in, we're gonna take care of it.  
Esther was watching the scene with interest, it was the first time she was really getting into the heart of the matter. The medjacks were working around the wounded boy, as if they had done this all their life : while one was putting all sorts of bottles and bandages on the small trolley, the other was busy cleaning the wound with hot water.  
She was watching attentively every detail, every product used, every gesture made.  
— Why don't you use thyme?  
This sentence had come out of her mouth alone.  
— Huh ? The three boys said practically at the same time.  
Seeing that they had stopped their activities following her intervention, she continued hesitantly.  
— I mean… Thyme is a powerful antiseptic, if you apply it as a poultice, the wound will be healed in no time.  
— To be honest, Jeff said with a embarrassed look, we don't use any plants to heal wounds. And how can you know that?  
— I don't know, it's just... I know it, that's all.  
What was happening with her memory ? How could she have been unable to remember her own name while remembering precisely the medicinal properties of a plant? It didn't make sense. The two medjacks went back to work, and she watched them silently.  
***  
Esther sat down at the same table she used to sit at since her arrival, and which today was occupied by a special person...  
— Hi Newt, she began happily. Don't you work today ?  
— No, it's my day off, he replied with a slight smile. So tell me, what are you doing today?  
— I'm working with the medjacks, and it seems to be a pretty nice job! By the way, something really weird happened this morning ...  
She told him in detail what had happened, how she had instinctively remembered a plant she thought she had forgotten about since her memory was erased.  
— That's bloody weird, Newt said, frowning. That looks like when ...  
— When you have remember my name, she ended.  
He nodded to approve what she had deduced.  
— But why ? he asked. What are the creators trying to convey to us by returning parts of our memory?  
— Maybe they never took them away, maybe from the beginning they wanted you to remember me, or me to remember this plant... Yesterday, when Clint explained to me his job, I had the intuition that it was my way. And what if all that was planned?  
— That's what we'll see, Newt concluded. No more eating, I'm taking you somewhere.  
She swallowed the end of her meal in no time, then got up and followed the boy to a place she had already attended.  
— Why are you taking me to the garden?  
— Because it would surprise me that the creators have given you only a memory ; if you remember thyme, maybe other plants will remind you something.  
Of course, that made sense. Definitely, the young runner didn't stop surprising her a little more each time they talked.  
— When I'm not in the Maze or with Alby, he continued, I often come to help in the garden. I know quite well the place and the plants. Ready for a visit ? he finished with a smirk.  
He fumbled in his bag and took out a piece of paper and a pencil.  
— Here, he said, handing them to her, to note what's coming back to your mind.  
***  
They spent a good hour walking in the whole garden. Esther was surprised to find in her memory information she did not even know existed. How was it possible to know so much things about it ? Even with a fulll memory, she doubted that people had so much knowledge about medicinal plants. Every time he showed her a plant and the girl began to scribble on the sheet with concentration, Newt leaned over her shoulder, watching her write with interest.  
— How is that possible? He whispered.  
— Honestly I have no idea, and I'm as intrigued as afraid to know all of that.  
At the end of the afternoon, her sheet counted fifteen names of herbs and flowers followed by the ills they could cure. The more Esther looked at it, the more the questions jostled in her head.  
Suddenly, she saw Jeff coming towards them with an expression of anger.  
— Crap, she let out, realizing she had completely abandoned the medjacks.  
— Hey shuck face, shouted the boy when he was up to them, you think you can leave when you want ? This is not a kindergarten here, so you work like everyone else!  
— Calm down Jeff, Newt slowly said. I took her here.  
— So what ? continued the other. It's not because you're the second-in-command that you can do anything you want. We have a lot to do at the infirmary, it's not the moment to play the tour guide!  
— What's the matter here?  
Esther turned her head and saw Alby approaching the group, probably intrigued by the noise.  
— The matter is that your right arm thinks it has all rights, spat out the medjack.  
— Newt, could you explain ?  
— Of course Alby, he replied, but not here.  
He glared at Jeff.  
— It'll be better in the map room. And Esther comes too.  
With these words, he seized her hand and left without waiting for an answer. She heard Alby tell the other boy to go back to work, and they would settle it later.  
Once in the room, Newt let go of his hand and leaned against a table, arms folded. Alby entered a few seconds later.  
— So ? he asked immediately.  
— So I think that Esther is there in a precise aim.  
What ? He hadn't told that to her... She looked at him with the same astonished look as Alby.  
— Keep going, encouraged the leader with a nod.  
— This morning, when she was at the infirmery, Winston came with a wound. She instinctively told the medjacks they should use thyme to heal it.  
Alby turned her head toward the newbie.  
— He's telling the truth, she said. I do not know how I remembered that.  
— So I thought it would be useful to take her to the garden to see if this memory was involuntary or if it was wanted by the creators, continued Newt. And look at that.  
Esther handed over the list she had made to the leader. He read it, seeming overwhelmed by what he had in front of the eyes.  
— How...  
— I understand nothing either, the young glader immediately said. But this intuition that my place was in the infirmary, the memories that have come back to me since this morning ... It can not just be a coincidence. I don't know what the creators want, if there is a specific purpose behind all this, but what I know now is that I can be useful, that I could perhaps even save lives. I am the first person to arrive here with medical knowledge : seriously, we're not gonna miss this opportunity, are we ?  
Newt nodded to approve his speech, and glanced at Alby waiting for his answer.  
— Well, I'm a little lost right now, he finally sighed after a few minutes of silence. But you're right : if you use oregano to cure the burns rather than season Frypan's stew, I won't send you working in the kitchen. You'll still keep your trainee status for two weeks just to respect our code, but if all goes well, you'll be officially a medjack after that.  
The girl felt a wave of euphoria invading her after these words: finally, she was finding her aim in this giant mysterious cog.  
— One more thing, she said timidly before the leader leaves. I don't think I have exploited the entirety of my potential.  
— What do you mean ?  
— If I could give a look to the medjacks' book with all diseases and injuries, I could perhaps find the full extent of my memories.  
— I see, he simply replied. I'm going to see Clint and Jeff to explain the situation, and I'll take the opportunity to bring you this book.  
She thanked him, then he left the room without another word. She watched him leave in silence.  
— Are you okay ?  
Newt had moved closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She turned her head towards him.  
— Yeah, I guess.  
But when he put his thumb to wipe his cheek, she realized that she was crying ; she let out a nervous laugh.  
— I don't even know why I'm crying, I don't know if it's because I'm happy to have found my place or because I'm scared when I realize what's happening to me, and then there's all these questions ... I don't know. I don't know anything actually.  
Without answering, the boy approached her and delicately wrapped her in his arms. She burst into tears.  
***  
She woke up, nearly falling from her hammock. With a misty mind, she looked around, and saw that the brightness had dropped considerably and that the doors of the Maze were closed. How did she get there?  
On her right, Newt was sat on a wooden chair and seemed to be immersed in the analysis of maps, probably those Ben and Minho had brought back today.  
— What's happened ? she asked directly.  
The glader raised his head from his papers and smiled at her.  
— You were exhausted, you practically fell asleep in my arms while ago.  
The events came back to her mind : the afternoon in the garden, the map room, Alby ...  
— Sorry about that, to have burst into tears like that. I ... I don't like to show myself weak like that. There is so much to do here and I find a way to cry like a baby...  
— Don't worry about that, he answered softly. You know, we're all lost when we come here : fear, questions, memory erased, the Maze... So at some point, we need to release all this pressure. The only difference is that you were with me at that time.  
His gaze had become sad, staring nowhere. He shook quickly and resumed his joyful look before resuming.  
— Alby has brought this for you just now.  
He patted the big medjacks' book, lying on the table next to the girl's hammock.  
— Also, I have a little present for you.  
He took out a leather-bound notebook from one of his trouser pockets, and handed it to her.  
— We use this type of notebook to record our paths in the Maze. We have a huge reserve of them, in the map room, so I thought I might pick one up. It will be easier for you to write everything in there, right ?  
Esther grabbed the notebook and thanked him with a smile.  
— Newt ? She asked shyly. Why are you doing all of this for me ?  
The boy froze ; he opened his mouth, but no sound came out.  
— I mean, she continued, since I'm here, you've took care of me like no other glader has, you've paid attention that everything was going well...  
— Honestly, he said, I'm trying to do everything I can to make sure everybody feels the best here. Living in an enclosed space with a dozen of people is not always easy, so if I can help solve problems and ease tensions, I'm happy.  
Esther smiled at his remark ; it didn't surprise her that Alby has chosen him to help him.  
— Also, he went on, you aren't like the others. To my mind, anyway : I remember your name, your face ... It's like having a word on the tip of the tongue but not being able to bring out.  
He had just put words on how she felt when she was with him : she knew that Newt was important to her, but why ? What was connecting him with her?  
— I understand what you mean, she said, losing her gaze into the Glade. That feeling... Do you think we knew each other before all of that?  
— I'm sure we did, he immediatly answered. It's not just a coincidence, what's going on with us. But since I don't think we'll be out of here by tomorrow, we'll have plenty of time to think about it. For now, I need to help Minho and Ben in the map room. You should rest a little, tomorrow you go back with the medjacks !  
He got up from his chair and walked away with a small wave of his hand.  
The young glader closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, trying to silence all her questions. Newt was right : they would have plenty of time. For now, she had more important things to do. She gave a look at the medjacks' book.


End file.
